Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hood latch assembly for a vehicle and a method of actuating the same; and, more particularly, to a hood latch assembly for a vehicle, which includes an extendable lever having a variable length, and a method of actuating the same.
Description of Related Art
In general, a hood is mounted to an engine room of a vehicle to shield the main components of the vehicle, such as an engine installed in the engine room, from the outside. This hood is hinged to the opened upper surface of the engine room in front of a vehicle body, and pivots about a hinge portion to be opened and closed. The hood is locked and unlocked using a hood latch. The hood latch includes a fork portion (e.g., a first latch) which catches and fixes a striker, and a hook portion (e.g., a second latch) by which the striker is hooked after the hood is opened (e.g., popped, unlocked, etc.). The fork portion is released by the operation of a hood lever mounted within the vehicle, and the hook portion is released by a latch handle mounted to the hood latch.
FIG. 1 is a detailed view illustrating a hood latch assembly for a vehicle according to the prior art. FIG. 2 is a front view illustrating the hood latch assembly for a vehicle according to the prior art. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, in the hood latch assembly, when a driver or an operator opens a hood to check an engine room, a striker caught by a fork portion (e.g., a first latch) is unlocked by the operation of a hood lever (e.g., a first lever) installed within the vehicle, thereby allowing the hood to be popped up (e.g., opened) and slightly lifted up. In particular, the striker is hooked and locked by a hook portion (e.g., a second latch) when a gap is formed between a hood and a vehicle body.
Additionally, a latch handle (e.g., a second lever) may be operated by inserting a hand or other object into the gap formed between the hood and the vehicle body, and lifting the hood after releasing the hook portion, by which the striker is hooked, to thus fully open the engine room. In other words, the hood latch assembly of the prior art has a double latch structure. When the hood lever mounted within the vehicle is inadvertently operated while the vehicle is being driven, the hood may be opened by exterior wind blowing opposite to the direction in which the vehicle is traveling thus blocking the driver's view of the road. Accordingly, the above structure is used to prevent a risk of accidents that may be caused due to inadvertent operation.
However, since the conventional hood latch handle is disposed within the engine room, in to open the hood, after the gap (e.g., the hood is partially opened) is formed by operating the hood lever mounted within the vehicle after the hood lever is lifted by a predetermined height, a driver or operator identifies the position of the hood latch handle by inserting his/her hand into the gap, and then operates the hood latch handle. Accordingly, it may be difficult for the driver or operator to detect the hood latch handle due to the space constraints of the gap formed between the hood and the vehicle body.